


Taking His Medicine

by mezzogal



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29083458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezzogal/pseuds/mezzogal
Summary: Kimi notices something not quite right with Seb and goes to do something about it. Vampire Seb.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Taking His Medicine

The first time Kimi Raikkonen saw Sebastian Vettel drinking blood, he thought his new Ferrari teammate was cheating on his girlfriend. After all, what else was he to think? He had heard suspicious noises and opened the door to Seb’s driver room, thinking an animal had got trapped, only to find Seb draped all over his PR manager Britta, his mouth clamped to her neck. The sound of sucking filled the small space and their movement made the floorboards creak.

“Mita helvettia, Sebastian!” Kimi scolded in mock annoyance. “What do you think you’re doing? I will have to call Hanna and tell her.” 

Sebastian jumped off Britta and turned round. 

“Voi luoja,” Kimi breathed, backing away quickly. Red blood stained Sebastian’s mouth and teeth, and a pair of sharp fangs jutted from his upper gums. More blood was smeared across Britta’s neck. “What is this?”

Seb’s hand darted out to grab Kimi, holding him in place with unexpected strength. “No, Kimi, wait. This isn’t what it looks like.” His eyes darted about guiltily, checking behind Kimi and what bit of the corridor he could see. He tried to move to block Britta from view too.

She glared at Seb. “I thought you locked the door.”

“I thought I did!”

“If you did, Kimi wouldn’t have been able to come in,” she said. She took out a piece of tissue and wiped her neck. “I hope you got enough, because I don’t think we have much more time.”

Seb nodded. “It’s enough.”

“Help me with this.” Two little puncture wounds appeared at Britta’s neck then disappeared as Seb rubbed at them with his other hand, leaving just the shadow of a bruise that faded as Kimi watched. 

“What the hell is going on?” Kimi demanded, trying to pull away from Seb’s iron grip. “Seb?”

“I’ll tell him; you go ahead,” Seb said. Britta eased out of the room, firmly pushing Kimi inside as she left. She shut the door and Seb nudged the lock closed. “Sit down, Kimi.” He pulled him to the sofa Britta had been on earlier then let go of his hand. “There’s something you should know. You know how when we travel, we meet all sorts of people…"

The tale was something out of a fairytale or horror story. Seb told of being turned into a vampire, of learning his abilities and how to survive without killing. Britta had been with him right from the start and was his primary source of blood. With her help, he could live an almost normal life, walk in the sun, race. But he had to drink blood regularly, like a drug he was dependent on.

Kimi stiffened with every word. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “You want to drink my blood?”

“No!” Seb’s eyes widened. “I don’t need you to do that!” 

“Then what for, you tell me?”

“Because… because… argh!” He pushed his hand through his curly hair. “Because someone else on the team needs to know. You know? In case something happened. Like if I have a medical condition.”

Kimi studied his new teammate, this strange man who wanted to be normal. “You are vampire. That is your medical condition. And Britta is your doctor,” he summed up.

Seb’s face lit up. “Yes. That’s right!”

“But why me?” Kimi pressed. “So many people in Ferrari, why you choose me?”

Seb lowered his head and ruffled his hair again. “Because I trust you,” he said shyly. “Because you’re my friend. Right?”

Kimi’s lips curled up in a small smile. “Yes. Friends.” He chuckled. “But if you start to beat me in the race, I will stuff your helmet with garlic. I now know your weakness.”

They talked a lot more about it over the years. Seb never asked Kimi for blood and Kimi never offered again. He did help distract people when Seb and Britta had to discreetly disappear for a few moments. He also kept an eye on the younger man, teasing that he had not taken his “medicine” whenever he had an off day on the track, and also being serious if his teammate looked ill.

But nothing lasts forever. Ferrari decided to let Kimi go. As he made his goodbye, Seb told Kimi not to worry; he would take care of his “health” and see his “doctor” regularly. Kimi threw his attention into his new team but, now and then, the older man could not help wondering how his friend was faring.

Seb was having a bad year. The car was not responding how he would like, forcing him to drive slower and not as well. The team seemed to have thrown all their support onto the other driver, leaving none for him. The press was relentless, magnifying his mistakes and deciding that the former world champion had lost his talent, could no longer drive and should retire. Events in the world also created an atmosphere of unbalance and fear, feeding back into his difficulties with driving and trapping him in a vicious circle.

Kimi watched from his new team and sympathised. It was not unusual to hit rough times or to have an inadequate car and support. But Seb seemed to have let it affect him. The usually jovial and energetic man stopped laughing and joking, and appeared tired and unfocused. Many times after a race, Kimi would see him with shoulders hunched and an air of defeat about him. Something was wrong. The more Kimi watched, the more he began to notice something different. Something missing. Someone. Seb’s usually ever-present shadow, Britta, was not always there anymore. 

Istanbul, Turkey. The Formula One circus was in town. It was a difficult one this time, with rain and a new track. Everyone was fed up and struggling just to not crash; forget about trying to get ahead. Kimi watched Seb slip and slide and spin his way through practice and qualifying. It was not like him. A driver as experienced as him - a vampire with his reflexes - should have been able to control the car better, even one as lousy as Ferrari’s current offering. If he kept it up, he might be heading for a dangerous accident. And Britta was still nowhere to be seen.

Kimi thought on it and made up his mind. The drivers were kept separated but Kimi was not one to let something like that stop him. On Sunday morning, he slipped past security and knocked on Seb’s hotel room door. It took some time for the door to open and for Seb to peer out.

“You look like shit,” Kimi said. “Are you still alive or are you dead?”

Seb groaned and let Kimi in. The interior of the room was exceptionally dark. As Kimi’s eyes adjusted, he saw that the curtains were drawn tight and the edges taped to the wall so that not a crack of light came through.

Seb saw him looking. “The light hurts me,” he explained. He retreated to the darkest corner of the room and sank to the floor, hidden in the shadows but for his pale face. “What are you doing here? Can I help you with something?”

“I wanted to check that you were taking your medicine,” Kimi said. “But I think you don’t need to tell me.”

“I’m fine. You just caught me off guard.” He squared his shoulders, seeming more like a man on a suicide mission to storm a castle than someone talking to a friend.

Kimi glared at him. “Uh huh. Where’s Britta?”

“She couldn’t come. She has problems with the quarantine or something. It’s been hard for her to be here because her role on the team is not strictly essential,” he spat out the last three words.

“Not essential, huh? If only they knew,” Kimi teased. Seb rolled his eyes. “What about the blood? Who’s giving it to you now?” 

“I’m not drinking Charles, if that’s what you’re asking,” Seb joked weakly. He gestured at the mini fridge. Kimi opened it and found several apple spritzer bottles filled with dark liquid. Seb winced when the light touched his skin and he pulled his shirt higher up to his face. ”Britta sends me some every few weeks. I drink a bigger dose before I go to the Paddock and it lasts me all day.”

Kimi frowned. “I was watching you yesterday. It is not enough.”

“Almost all day,” Seb corrected.

“You need more. Take some to the garage. Put it in your drink bottle.”

Seb let out a huff of laughter. “You’ve seen the Ferrari fridge. How long do you think it’ll be there before someone takes it? And I can’t have it in the car; if it’s too hot, it’ll go bad.”

“Does Charles know?” Kimi inquired. Seb shook his head. “You should tell him. Someone. I cannot watch you all the time.”

Seb muttered something about not needing to be watched, but Kimi ignored him. He took a bottle out to examine. The plasma had floated to the top and the blood looked black and clumpy. Even with the lid on, he detected a smell of dull metal and bad eggs. A note taped to the bottle indicated a date nine days ago. “This is not fresh.”

Seb peeked at it. “Probably not,” he agreed. “But it’s the best I can do.”

Kimi slammed the fridge shut. “No, it’s not.” Seb frowned. “I’m here. I’ve got blood. Take it.”

Seb recoiled. “No! I wouldn’t drink from you. You’re my friend!”

“Britta is not your friend?”

“She’s different. She… she…” he trailed off as Kimi gave him a withering look. “She doesn’t have to race later,” he finished triumphantly.

Kimi folded his arms across his chest. “You always drink from her and she can still do her work ok. I’ve seen.”

Seb got to his feet and put his hands on his hips. “Yes, but she’s used to it. Verdammt! If I drink from you and something happened to you on the track, I could never forgive myself.”

“And what about you? Stupid man. You cannot even stand the fridge light. How are you going to race at one o’clock? You tell me.” Kimi strode to the curtains. “Ok, you drink your blood and I will open the curtains. If you can stand the light then I will leave you alone. If you cannot then you will drink my blood. No more argument.”

Seb hesitated, looking between the bottle and the curtains. Kimi pressed on. “Britta is not here. You have new doctor now. Me. Don’t be stubborn.”

Seb’s shoulders slumped. “All right. You are right.”

“Yes, I am. So, how to do this?”

Seb pointed at the bed. “Just sit and relax. I’ll do the rest.” 

Kimi did as instructed. Seb leaned in and put his hands on his shoulders to steady him. His hands were cold. Kimi tried to stay still when he first felt Seb’s lips touch his neck. He had expected it to hurt but it was no more painful than an insect bite. The drawing of blood felt strange. It was a deep pull all over his body and right down to his heart, as though Seb was taking not just his blood but also his very soul. It was not a bad feeling, not when it was a friend he trusted.

Seb’s hands grew warmer. When he drew back, it felt like a bandage being ripped off, leaving Kimi feeling exposed for a moment. Then a deep lethargy washed over him. His head began to loll but Seb held him and eased him to lay down on the bed. “Thank you, my friend. Rest now and recover.”

When Kimi next opened his eyes, he found the curtains were drawn and the room lights were on. Seb was sprawled in a chair by the window, gazing out at the city. He turned and smiled widely when he noticed Kimi watching. “Not much sun today,” he remarked. “Lots of clouds again. Good for vampires.”

Kimi sat up and observed his friend. He looked normal, with colour in his cheeks again. “Are you ok?” he asked. 

Seb laughed. “I should be asking you that.”

“Me? I’m ok. Always ok.” He got up and examined his neck in the mirror. A tiny fading bruise was the only sign that a vampire had just fed on him. “The blood is enough?”

“It will be.”

And it was. Conditions during the race were bad - wet, overcast and slippery. But Seb was magic, weaving his way skilfully through the throng to be among the race leaders and nab his first podium in a year. Kimi watched the celebration with pride and later clapped him on the back.

“Good job, man. See what happens when you take your medicine?”

Charles, who was walking past, caught this exchange. “Medicine? What medicine? Seb, are you ok? Why do you need to take medicine?”

Seb put out his hands to slow his teammate down. “Charles, it’s nothing. I’m ok,” he said as he winked at Kimi, not bothering to hide it.

Charles was gesturing in confusion. “But Kimi said… Seb, why are you winking? What’s going on? Tell me… I don’t understand. Seb… Seb...”

Kimi and Seb both started laughing. Charles gave a tentative smile. Seb put an arm around Charles’ shoulders. “Charles, come with me. There is something I want to tell you. You know how when we travel, we meet all sorts of people…"

THE END


End file.
